A Month Till Love
by Quack Quest
Summary: Allen: Famous novelist under an alias, whom Lenalee strongly dislikes. Lenalee: Despite her hearty personality, she's a major critc and a hopeless romantic. Lavi bets Allen will fall in love with Lenalee in one month; Allen says he will never fall in love. Due to the bet, Allen and Lenalee have to spend a month learning about each other's pros and cons. But will Allen lose the bet?
1. Day One : First Meeting And Lavi's Bet

_Day One_

_First Meeting And Lavi's Bet_

He nibbled on the pen pensively. His right dactylion caressing the green-and-blue spotted plastic cup beside his typewriter. A low meditative hum brushing past his dry lips. The blue-tinted rectangular glasses sliding down his nose bridge. The single inkling of life Tyki witnessed from Allen was the brief blink a second ago. Now he was contemplating surrealistically as he eyed the lined paper in his five subject notebook and the list written on it with black ink.

"Allen?"

"Why are you in my study?" Allen murmured nonchalantly.

What a greeting, don't you think? Tyki shrugged, knowing the unappreciative companion cannot see it. Allen paid no heed to his guest, not one bit. He was more drawn in by paper and pens and accumulating an idea for his new novel that would no doubt become a best seller, as more than half the novels he's the author of are.

"Met a block in the road, eh?" Tyki asked.

"No, not at all." Allen used the bottom of his palm to push his glasses up to their rightful place, finally looking at Tyki. "My agent and publisher think I should erase my alias from my novels."

"So?" Tyki cocked a questioning brow.

"_So_?" Allen gasped, aghast. "Then people will know who I am, Tyki, and we don't want that."

The eyebrow steadily arched higher. The younger individual sometimes was more confounding than the stories he writes, and his idea that he insists continuously on is true, that Allen will never love anyone outside the family. Allen insists daily he will never be shot by Cupid's arrow. Honestly there was no sense in his idealistic no-love-forever life. Tyki thought Allen would be the first person he knows willing to throw himself to romance state of mind. That there was a wrong drawn conception. It is likely Allen planned to be like his father and his uncle who's never around- walk his life loveless - although the novelist may appreciate that. Neah could be sardonically witty and full of mockery. His Uncle consistently attempts to throw Allen at the ladies whenever possible, wishing for his only real family to fall in love. Then his other uncle... Allen despised Cross.

"Does it really matter?" Tyki drawled dully. "I mean, the world already loves your books. So why hide your identity?"

"I've explain a million if not a billion times! I don't want people to know, let's just keep it as simple as that, since your feeble mind can't seem to process the reasons I give or you're to lazy to even remember what I tell you."

"Did you get any sleep?"

"Not really."

"That explains a lot."

Allen glared at Tyki. The fire in his eyes only went to prove Tyki's point - Allen was cranky due to lack of sleep. Such a ridiculous ferocious look didn't bother Tyki. Altogether, all in all, it was rather amusing on the high scale. Allen is difficult to anger in the slightest, therefore, there was more to the situation than he first thought. No matter, for this isn't what the elder intended to come talk to him about.

"You've been locked up in your house a few days now," Tyki remarked, skimming through a rouge-leathered book.

"And you're distracting." Allen dropped the pen on the notebook carelessly, jerking back his head to stare at the ceiling, cognitive. "May I ask what exactly do you think you're doing here in my home uninvited?"

"Are you busy? No, so don't get so sassy, boy." Tyki smiled as Allen rolled his genuinely soft-stroke gray-blue eyes with a seemly silver tint. "I thought I take you out of the cell and cut those shackles."

A snort. "I'm not leaving."

"Why not?" Well, this was slightly disappointing. Tyki hoped he could spend the day with one of the few people he can tolerate on a daily basis _whose almost normal_. As far as he's concerned, Allen may be the only 'normal' person he'd ever meet.

"I have a dilemma I need a resolution to," Allen said bittersweetly.

"Then you can talk to me about it once you get out in the sun. No wonder you're so damn pale, locking yourself up inside day in and day out."

"I don't want to go," Allen groaned.

"I'll buy lunch."

Allen smirked, and Tyki might as well shove all his money in Allen's chest, aware the foolish cooing of asserted desperation will leave him broke for the rest of the month. He wondered if it was worth denting his wallet to escape Road and her theatrics. Well, Sheryl certainly was a bonus today if he stayed at the Earl's suburban mansion today, given his brother is off work. So, this absolutely is worth it.

"I promise you your ambligurition on my part for your sake will be significantly appreciated," Allen declared.

His pocket wallowed in misery. Poor pocket. Tyki stared glumly at Allen as he devoured a sub topped with everything but jalepenos. The booth table had no room whatsoever left to spare, leaving Tyki nowhere to sink his head, as he would usually rest his chin in his palm. It's not precise saying he was disturbed by Allen's appetite, though it made him nauseous from time to time, nor would it be accurate that he was upset about the money loss, for he could gamble all of it back in a few days or borrow off his family if it comes down to it, rather, Tyki is severely bored.

"So tell me about this problem you have," Tyki requested for the sheer longing to hear more than Allen's quite revolting slurps and chomps and meat grinding eating noises.

The only bad thing about Jerry's Cafe is it has everything to offer. Everything food wise. If you come in with something you want and it isn't here, Jerry will definitely have it on the menu within a week. Unfortunately that is what Allen loved about Jerry's, hence why they always come here. Too bad half the menu isn't cheap where the other half feels like you're stealing from the cafe.

A black scowl spread across Allen's lips. "You remember my high school friend, Lavi?" Tyki nodded slowly. "He's a college graduate now, and he's returning home, hoping I can help him think of what exact career would be ideal for the twit."

"So the problem?"

"He insists I come to the graduation party for the graduates at his house."

"And?" Tyki pried despite his disinterest.

"Lavi is exclusively irritating," Allen growled, pausing to munch on a few crispy chicken tenders and inhaling his strawberry milkshake. "I said no. Couldn't express my disapproval anymore than I did."

"Blackmail again?" Tyki chuckled heartily.

"No, not blackmail. Lavi has persisted on this for two months ahead of the party date. Every time we talked to each other over the phone or email each the other, he would bring it up. Eventually, he caught me when I was drowsy and desperately needed sleep after pulling an all-nighter two days straight."

The elder deciphered the rest easily. Allen had been tired and accepted Lavi's invitation. That cannot be abnormal, although there's one thing Tyki missed- "Why don't you want to go to the party?"

"Because Kanda will be there," Allen simply said, thinking thoroughly over every detail and every reason why which leads to a perfectly comprehensible and agreeable excuse. "Then Lavi likes spiking the beverages if he doesn't hand out the alcohol itself. I have a new novel due in three weeks, and I also need a new idea for the novel after that."

"Thought you weren't in a road block?" Tyki reminded.

Why must Tyki continue to think Allen has run fresh out of story plots? Allen wrote his first official short story when he was eight, and being a boy, it was damn amazing. Even then, Allen was impossibly fascinated by stories, finding grammatical and spelling mistakes in several types of books - encyclopedia, novels, textbooks - and he divided the characters trait by trait. Allen sought all the clichés and all the common features. All the flaws. Every _**blah**_ detail about the characters, including the appearances. Perhaps he shouldn't judge appearances, though, with white hair and a pentacle on his face, then his deformity.

Nonetheless, books were his life. The only thing he could possibly love more than reading is writing his own. In total, Allen has written over seven hundred short stories, five books of poetry, and the last three years consisted of making more than fifty best sellers and nothing less. Be it _New York Times_, national, or international best sellers, they were best sellers, and he guaranteed there be nothing less than the best, and the next book is always better. His novels, though, were mostly for young adults and some depthened to mature only. However, he never wrote a romance novel.

This is where his main conflict begins.

Allen Walker has formed universes of science and horrors of the shadows, teary-eyed tragedies sure to strip your cold heart of ice. Allen built a dimension of lingering spirits and monsters; put shame on the boogie man. The crimes are more notorious and ghastly than Jack The Ripper's, and demons bound off paper. His comedies sent hundreds to the hospitals because of their hysterics took their breath away! Allen is the _best_ novelist throughout the galaxies to this day and age. He rules this writing era. Except _romance_.

Allen Walker is anything but a romantic, contrary to his being, his very fiber. In fact, he's too much of a pessimist in the romance factor that Allen has never kissed, never dated, and never was interested in any sexual content in any way, shape, or form. To complete this, Allen has never once had a crush on any girl. Being embarrassed to see somebody naked is completely different from being flustered by arousal. Some people don't seem to get that. Though Allen was not easily embarrassed by these things. It was human nature to love or make love, so on, so on, yet nothing of the sort ever intrigued him. Never will either. The daft Skin Bolic is more of a sweet romantic than Allen, to be honest.

That is what makes his dilemma worse.

His publisher, agent, and editor demand a romance novel from him by next month, or he would be looking for new colleagues. Which is rather difficult when Allen Walker is nonexistent to the world. He uses an alias for his novels: Red D. Gray. More than likely, there was a chance of exploiting his identity to the world as Red if he attempted to find a new editor or agent or publisher, but all three? Pft, the secret would be out. Allen isn't ready for that. Tyki is the only one who knows he's Red. Everyone else thinks he's just a big fan of Gray's books. In an _ironic _way, he is.

"Oi, oi!" Tyki headbutted Allen suddenly, and the younger of the two hissed, holding his aching head.

"What the hell, Tyki!?" Allen growled.

"You were ignoring me," Tyki deadpanned, dismissing the headbutt. "Anyway, you're going?"

"Well, of course. I'm a man of my word." Allen told him matter-of-factly.

"So when is it?"

"Lavi wants me there before the party actually begins. So I have to be there by five since it starts at six."

"That's three hours away. What are you going to do till then?"

Good question. Allen hadn't thought about it. With a dreary sigh, Allen finished his last slice of Hawaiian pizza, completing his new record high stack of dishes. Thankfully waiters and waitresses took care of the dishes here at this café, which might as well be a five-star restaurant. Languidly, Allen stood on his feet and hurriedly headed straight to the door, waving off Tyki.

"I'm going to the bookstore. I've got studying to do." Allen used as an awry farewell.

* * *

Closing the novel Lavi bought for her, Lenalee tossed it on her bed, praying some mighty force would disintegrate it to ashes before it plopped on the soft mattress. Was he playing a sick joke on her? He knows very well how much Lenalee infinitely loathed Red D. Gray's preposterous best sellers. Completely and utterly lame in her opinion. Perhaps it is biased, then perhaps not.

Lenalee Lee was a critic from fashion trends straight to the celebrities rocking on T-vo and more. Lenalee unfortunately wasn't a world renowned critic. A mere journalist and recent college graduate of an IQ of 125, in her estimation. Lenalee is gifted but not highly gifted, and she's smart in what interests her most or a little, tiny bit. What she don't like she don't learn about. Common sense, right? After school, at least.

That's far off track, though. The subject is Lenalee dislikes Red D. Gray. Loathes him and his documents with her whole heart which is typically kind, understanding, and vivacious. The plot and ideas, some were alright, some okay, some amazing, original, blah blah blah, but Lenalee saw in every book, every story, a continuous flaw. The characters are forever loveless. Even the married couples! They never seemed to love each other. There is no portrayal of it. Yes, there's friendship love, parent-to-child love, family love. No romance though. Not even a crush. That isn't the only reason why Lenalee couldn't bring herself to find tastes in the books. Damn Sam, she has a whole list. However, she wishes to avoid speaking of Gray as much as possible, or thinking about him.

"Are you settling okay, Lenalady?" Lavi asked, poking his head in with a grin.

"Yeah, I'm settling in perfectly," Lenalee chirped cheerfully. She walked up to her new black ornate vanity, making herself comfortable in the stool and leaning toward the oval mirror; Lenalee applied mascara to her eyelashes. "I can't thank you and Bookman enough for letting me stay with you until I find my own place."

"Komui isn't gonna freak 'bout this, right?" Lavi leaned on the door, scratching his head nervously.

"He trusts Bookman."

"Yeah, I know that. But me..."

"He won't kill you, I promise," Lenalee smiled encouragingly.

The anxiety soon vanished. Komui knows Lenalee is far from Lavi's love interest, and he's nowhere near compatible for her, so Komui might threaten Lavi, but he doubted the big brother would go too far to hurt him or anything... Severely. And with Lenalee's reassuring promise, he could sleep with a peace of mind.

"Random question, but what are you hoping to achieve now, being out of college and all?" Lavi wondered, still uncertain about what he wanted to do.

"Oh, I'm just focusing on getting my own place first. Then I'll worry about a job." Lenalee shrugged, and Lavi wished he could be so carefree about this like she was. Bookman, his stern grandfather, wants Lavi to figure out his life quickly. Lavi has a year to find a job better than a burger flopper at McDonald's or the old panda will shove him into something else he'd resent. The whole conception was complicated, and tonight is supposed to be fun, so no need to tell a sad-glum tale.

"Maybe I can also find a boyfriend now, too," Lenalee said thoughtfully.

Lavi smirked. "You've always said that, Lenalady."

"Yeah, but Komui isn't here to mess it up."

"Girl, girl, you need Komui here first. If they run away immediately the guy ain't worth your precious time."

"Says the guy who ran all the way home sucking his thumb and crying when you first met Komui."

Lavi gaped at her, disbelieving his ears. "You promised to never bring that up again!" He huffed, and Lenalee laughed. "Besides, wasn't trying to be your boyfriend, was I?"

"No, I suppose not."

"C'mon, we gotta finish setting up the party," Lavi said eagerly, jabbing hs thumb downwards to signal the place in which said party will commence.

"We already have balloons and streamers and whatever else your mind came up with, so what else are we missing?" Lenalee asked, following Lavi out of her room and downstairs.

"Simple. The snacks." Lavi said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Lenalee studied the rooms they passed until hey arrived at the kitchen. There wasn't any need for anymore snacks to be put out. Lenalee thought there were too many snacks laying around, but Lavi was the host and he basically makes all the rules and buys the supplies. He chooses what is permitted and what there will be. Lenalee didn't see the point in arguing.

"The Beansprout is here," Kanda grumbled once he saw them enter the kitchen. _Clicks_ soon followed his words, and Lenalee noticed he had his laptop with him, likely booking the first flight out of the country. It wouldn't be all too surprising, since he graduated college with Lavi and Lenalee last week, and has his own apartment on Number 65 Lane, but he probably wants to leave on vacation if not permanently, to escape his foster-father and -brothers, and Lavi.

"Beansprout?" Lenalee repeated, once the nickname finally processed through her brain.

"Really?" Lavi enthusiastically asked. "Where is he?"

"I don't know, don't care," Kanda continued grumbling, scowl deepening. "Why is everything so god damn expensive!?" He slammed his fist on the table. "Or sold out! Dammit!"

"What'cha looking for?" Lavi peeked over Kanda's shoulder, blinking. "Oh, yeah, those books are amazing. Wow, Yuu, you can-" Kanda elbowed the redhead brutally in the midsection, knocking the air out of Lavi.

"Thanks... Yuu... Appreciate the love." Lavi gasped, ducking when Kanda decided to swing at Lavi's jaw this time. "Anyway, I got those books upstairs in the library, and the Old Panda has'em back at the bookstore, too. New ones coming in tomorrow, if ya wanna get your own. But you can borrow mine."

"Tch. If I wanted to borrow the books I would have gotten them off the Sprout." Kanda glared at the screen as the last Witch In The Village book sold out. "Why is it so hard to buy those damn books?"

"What books?" Lenalee asked as she opened the fridge and pulled out a Mountain Dew and gallon of homemade herbal tea. "Seriously, Lavi? Mountain Dew and nothing else?"

"I love the Dew, dudette." Lavi snatched the soda out of her hands and popped the cap off. "Don't matter on the books, though. Believe it, cause Kanda is a major Red D. Gray fan because of yours truly. Snuck him a book and ever since he's been addicted to them. Especially those horrors, tragedies and mysteries. There's even one 'bout a wicked samurai that's like, uh, _awesome_. Anyway, he's been tryin' to buy 'em, but he's only got 13 of Gray's books."

"You, too, Kanda!?" Lenalee exclaimed.

Kanda slammed the lid of his laptop down, staring at Lenalee, stoic. "The books aren't the worst. Better than most things I've read."

"I bet you only like them because there isn't a sliver of romance," Lenalee scoffed, shutting the fridge in frustration.

"That's the only reason you don't like Red D's novels. Typical romantic-critic." Lavi shrugged, tipping his bottle of soda at Lenalee as he spoke cheerfully. "Don't fret, gal. You still my homegirl despite your foolish disliking toward my favorite novelist of all time. Other than your opinions on Red D. Gray, I respect and value your opinions."

"Thanks," Lenalee muttered, feeling slightly jaded by Kanda's unintentional betrayal, then she couldn't really blame him. Kanda's tastes are a variety collection, which aren't too hard to guess accurately on. "Kanda, you can have all twenty of my Red D. Gray novels. Waste of time and money on my part."

Lenalee sighed. "Guess I stand alone on my views."

* * *

Allen furiously shoved the adulterated romance book in the bag. Allen couldn't read it without either feeling bitter and cynical, or just drifting out of the context in sheer boredom. Even an inexperienced pragmatic unromantic individual like himself knows this is purely fiction, and not at all realistic or rational. The absurdity was too ridiculous he couldn't laugh or snort.

Sure, he knows a few people who aren't hopeless romantic and are somewhat looking for relationships, and he's seen different types of relationships, so he knows love develops gradually if at all. Attraction is completely different. A guy might think a woman is exotic and want her purely by their appearance, and vice versa. Ordinarily, a relationship starts from physique attraction than personality, and these books are nothing but based on the physical appearances that win the attraction, then magically develop into love. How surprising - note the sarcasm. Romance novels are just too much of unrealistic, silly, irrational fantasies.

"Why are you tucked away in here, Beansprout?" Lavi questioned, walking up behind the white-haired friend as he entered the library.

"It's Allen!" he screamed in frustration, throwing the bag-wrapped book at his older friend.

"Here! I accidentally bought te wrong book today," Allen lied when Lavi cocked an eyebrow. "I was in a hurry, so I wasn't paying too much attention. Thus I bought the wrong book. Have it."

Lavi tossed the book on the loveseat across the room, clutching Allen's arm and dragging him out of the library. Allen's frown deepened, postulating the outcome of soon-to-be-events because of Lavi's eagerness. "You aren't playing matchmaker again tonight." It was a demand, not a question. "Besides, they're college graduates. Their ages can range from nineteen to fifty-seven."

"What, you think I'm stupid and gonna to hook you up with a pedophile?" Lavi feigned hurt, clutching his chest where the heart pumps beneath. "I'm hurt, Allo, really, I'm hurt."

Allen held a look of indifference. "You've tried it before. Thirteen times to be exact. Four of which were men, need I remind you? And one was my Uncle."

"Technically, Tyki isn't your uncle. Their family accepted your family after they became adults. You just so happen to join that package. Anyway, I don't know your sexuality-"

"Even if I did come to like someone it would be a girl," Allen snapped.

"How do you know that?"

"_Lavi_!"

"Okay, okay, I'm just teasing," Lavi said, defeated. "'Sides, tonight is for fun. Don't be so... tense. Gee, what's your problem today? You're so grouchy!"

Maybe a little. Then he could easily blame it on distrust and past experiences when Lavi has brought Allen's morals to corruption and his childish innocence vaporized. Befriending Lavi exhilarated and profligate Allen's life, and he could earnestly say Lavi's departure to college hardly bothered Allen or left him lonely. Allen was a loner, so being by himself never mattered.

They entered the crowded parlor and Allen set his eyes on the snack table beside him. Lavi chuckled as Allen started munching down on the nachos and preparing a few slices of cake on his paper plate, though he eyed the punch and lemonade warily, resorting to examining the soda bottles to make sure the caps weren't loose to prove signs of previously being opened.

"I didn't spike the drinks," Lavi enlightened.

"Why am I here then, Lavi?" Allen asked softly, ignoring him, exhaling for a long minute and ultimately releasing all the tension in his body, shoulders sinking.

"'Cause I haven't seen you in a long time, Allo," the redhead clarified simply. "I mean, I've been so busy and you do whatever, whenever, and I never know what you're doing or if you have free time-"

"I normally have free time." Allen meant that. He writes his novels quickly if no one distracts him and he hasn't a job outside his house. Most of the time you can find him in his home, at Jerry's Cafe, bookstores and libraries, and Dream Lake, where nobody goes anymore since the amusement park was built seven years ago and there's closer beaches people prefer to go to. Those be the most common places you'll find Allen, usually away from the crowd.

"Are you sure you're not going to college, Allen?" Lavi approached the subject cautiously. "I mean, you can go to the community college, and not even for the whole day. You don't need a master's degree or anything."

"I'm not going. My life is centered about books, and you don't need a college degree to read or write them, you know." Allen said sternly.

"But what if something happens and you need to earn money, Allen?"

"Gamble." Allen gave Lavi a pointed look, smirking inwardly as his friend shivered.

"Allen, I worry about you."

"Look, if I need a practical job, I can work at a hotel, stores, the amusement park, and other convenient places. So forget it, okay?"

_I have enough money to last me years, and a family willing to give me money if I need some._

Although Allen earns a good deal of money, his large appetite thins his own pocket and he does more with his money than most think, and being the modest, humble person he was, Allen never spoke about it to anyone if it ventures beyond bills and food and lending money to Tyki occasionally, etcetera. Allen will splurge on himself, too, when he feels like it. Because he can.

"Aww, look, Yuu's sulking in the corner," Lavi said, a little too cheerfully, as he tugged on Allen's arm while he tried to grab a couple more chips and sandwiches. "C'mon, c'mon, let's go cheer him up.

"Yof mehn eggragfh tiw?" Allen's gulped down his mouthful of chips after chewing, and Lavi shook his head when he quickly stuffed his face with his ham sandwich afterwards, dusting the crumbs off his shirt.

"What'chu say?"

"I said," Allen gulped again, speaking more clearly, "you mean aggravate him?"

"Nah... Oh, look at that!" Lavi randomly pointed, his finger directing Allen's gaze to the painting of blossom flowers surrounded by Chinese scrolls made of glass and symbols Allen couldn't read engraved on there.

"What about them-"

Lavi grinned impishly, spinning his 'homegirl' around, who also seemed lost in the crowd, and pointed her at Allen who had his confused attention elsewhere. "Hi, have you met Allen?" Lavi said, and dashed through the crowd and out of the room before Allen or Lenalee could react.

Allen stared at the girl in front of him blankly, processing her subtle exotic girly-punk-mix look: A dark purple that matched her shining violet eyes, and the sleeves hung low on her shoulder, black denim jeans that faded grayish-white in the front and ripped in a few places along her long legs, three-inch high heels with half-inch thick and wide laces rolling over her feet with silver studs. Looking at her lovely face he saw her eyes stand out beautifully because of her mascara and faint purplish-silver eyeshadow. Her hair, oddly, was simply put up in pigtails, making her punk-look outlandish because of the girly addition, which her hair was actually a wonderful shade of black, by the way.

He mentally admitted this girl was very attractive, taking an interest on her lips that glowed, assuming immediately it was lip gloss. In a way, she reminded him of a rocker.

Then he remembered the celerity runaway, angrily glancing around for the fiery-haired piratical friend playing matchmaker again._ This is precisely why I didn't want to come here._

"Hello," she greeted, waving, smiling. "I'm assuming you're the beansprout."

Allen felt a boulder dropped on his head and gaped at her, his upright posture slouching suddenly. "Wha-what!?"

"Sorry, but that's what Kanda and Lavi called their 'little white-haired friend,'" Lenalee said, stifling a giggle, not wanting to further offend him. "I'm Lenalee Lee. Nice to meet you."

"Allen," he murmured dubiously. "Allen Walker."

She snapped her fingers and her eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh, I remember now! Lavi talks about you all the time! I always wanted to meet you."

"Really?" His dubiety bounced off him and she noticed. "What for, may I ask?"

"Oh, nothing, really. Lavi just makes you sound interesting. Didn't he talk to you about me?"

"I don't recall hearing you name."

"He usually calls me Lena or Lenalady."

"Sorry. Doesn't sound familiar."

Lenalee stuck her tongue out slightly, tilting her head to the side pensively as she admired Allen's dull appearance, inspecting every detail. According to the redhead, Allen isn't at all boring, but boy, does he look boring. He wore simple black trousers and a white cotton shirt hidden mostly by an old-fashioned gray Loxley vest. He was the image of a 19th century aristocrat without the cravat and jacket. And how could you miss the gloves? Geez... But he was handsome. Lenalee examined his radiant mercury eyes tentatively. The softness of those eyes gave her goosebumps. He was irritated, yes, yet those eyes were so genuine.

Lenalee wondered if he was boyfriend material. Of course there would be some necessary changes to quirk with...

"So how long have you known Lavi?" Lenalee asked, taking a sip of her punch.

"Since my freshmen year," Allen answered, glancing around the room again. Curse Lavi.

"You guys close?"

"You could say that. He is my best friend."

"And Kanda?"

"We don't get along."

"But you're friends?"

Allen eyed Kanda in the corner, snorting. "Doubt it."

"Lavi says you're friends," Lenalee told him.

"Yes, I reckon he did, but Lavi is an idiot," Allen responded. "Pardon me, but I must leave."

"Why?" Lenalee found his sudden want to leave offending. Maybe he was stereotyping her, then wasn't she basically doing the same? No, not really.

"I... I have to discuss something with Lavi."

"Do you have any idea how explicit you're being?" Lenalee crossed her arms over her chest, obviously expressing offense.

"About what?"

"That you're trying to avoid me for some stupid reason."

Now Allen thought that was a bit rude, however, things like that he is used to. Considering the peculiar and abnormal people in his life that never appeared humane to him most of the time. Lavi won't look humane anymore here soon, when Allen gets his hands on him.

"I wouldn't say it's 'stupid', instead, rational," Allen claimed matter-of-factly.

"Oh?" Lenalee leaned forward, eyebrow arched. "Then please explain."

So straightforward. Allen had a hunch this girl is open and blunt about her opinions.

"If you must know," Allen said evenly, "I have to reprimand him on trying to match me with a girl for love harmony, as he says. I'm not trying to be rude, but..."

"I won't work, is that what you're saying?"

"Not entirely."

Lenalee debated whether to be hurt or angry over that, and resorted to calmly walking away from him. She expected more gentlemanly manners from him. Tch, whether he meant it or not, he came off quite rude and terse, extremely offensive.

Allen found Lavi with Bookman and Tiedoll, Kanda's foster father, and look askance at the redhead as he grinned devilishly - Allen yanked Lavi away from Tiedoll and Bookman. "What the hell was that!?" he demanded.

"You don't like her?" Lavi mumbled, unbelievably disappointed.

"It's a tad hard to be keen on someone being forced upon me, now isn't it?" Allen seethed lowly.

"I didn't force her on you."

"Oh, yes, you did."

"Fine. So what? Lenalee is totally your type."

Allen couldn't stop himself from laughing at the ludicrous remark. "Not likely, Lavi."

"I think she do you some good."

"I think you're mad, you loon!"

"Chill, Allen."

"Not till you promise to quit playing matchmaker!" Allen said furiously. "I won't fall in love, Lavi, I assure you that. Especially not with her."

"What's wrong with Lenalee?" Lavi wanted to know. "I thought you'd at least like her as a friend."

"I wouldn't continue going round assuming you're right all the time."

Lavi stared at Allen long and hard. He was certain Lenalee and Allen were a perfect match. They are both kind-hearted softies with sass hidden behind their cute faces. Lenalee could be verbally abusive when expressing her opinions sometimes if you get her mad. Allen is frightening when he talk or thinks about, or plays, poker and other various gambles. Has a few secrets, and Allen could be mighty cocky when he is infuriated. Both had their quirks and pros and cons... There was more to his logical reasoning...

"I bet you'll fall in love with her in a month," Lavi thought aloud, grinning.

His friend simmered slowly, the idea of a bet crossing his mind. "A bet?" he repeated, tilting his head, a steel challenge in his eyes.

Lavi nodded vigorously. "I bet you will fall in love with Lenalee in a month."

Allen smirked confidently. "You're serious?" he scoffed. "I don't lose bets Lavi. You should know that by now."

"Then you should have no problem accepting this challenge," Lavi said.

"You're right, I don't have a problem. I just want to know what the wager is on."

"I'll wager that if I lose I'll stop tryin' to hook you up with a girl."

"And?"

"And guys."

"And?"

"I'll stop calling you beansprout."

"Such little things you're wagering."

"Yet it's what frustrates you the most," Lavi pointed out, eyeing Lenalee, who was talking to Kanda and some other boys from her science class.

Allen eyed Lenalee as well. "If I lose, which I won't..."

"You get the one ya love. _Duh_!" Then Lavi remembered the whole ordeal of a bet is to let the winner win something. He would win the satisfaction of simply winning the bet and proving Allen wrong. "Well, you can buy me a new car."

Allen looked at him as if he asked Allen to buy him government rule. "I get you to stop nagging me and you get a car?"

"Okay, okay." Lavi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He couldn't pay off a loan since Lavi received a full college scholarship. "Lemma think 'bout that."

"Lavi!"

"Fine. I want you to worship me for an entire day and be my faithful servant for a day, and you have to stop calling me stupid."

That was a bit over the top, but so was Allen's favor if he won the bet, which he will, since he never loses a bet - _never_ - Lavi would have to stop his annoying antics he finds so fun and enjoyable. If Lavi won, it'd be a day of torture. Even so, it won't happen at all.

"Agreed," Allen said.

"Spectacular."

* * *

_I have nothing to say except I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing this... Oh, wait, there is something else. This entire story is written throughout ONE month in the plot. Hence the title. So there will be either thirty, thirty one, or twenty-eight or -nine (because of leap years count in the February month span.) I'm hoping to write this entire story between one and two months! So I might need some helpful motivation to write this efficently and to the end! So please review? _

_I'll answer any question about the characters and plot, personalities, or whatever you didn't understand at first, etcetera. Other than that, I hope I didn't make many mistakes._

_PS. My pen name does not mean I like ducks. It means my stories might be a little quacky of an adventure. It's a symbol - if I'm saying this right - of what I hope to achieve in my D. Gray - Man fanfiction. _

_Peace!_


	2. Day Two : Mirabile Dictu

_Day Two_

_Mirabile Dictu_

"I can't believe you," Lenalee murmured, staring at the large Tudor house in front of her. Lenalee has never seen such a beautiful house before, and it must be over forty years old, yet it looked rather new with how well-kept it was and the yard was astonishing, being so beautiful and vast. Dahlias, daffodils, tulips, and various other brightly colored flowers lay around the front of the house in a neutral way, easily distinguished as a sporting try to look eye-catching without overdoing it as if to flaunt the home as most people tend to do.

Aside from the flowers outlining the edge of the house or circling a few peach and apple trees, and she might see a pecan tree near the slope on the side of the house, there was also a homemade swing on the oak tree diagonal from the house. The path to the said house had a small slope, a boardwalk on either side of the rocky driveway, which made it unique. The scent of fresh cut grass filled Lenalee's nostrils. Oh, how she loved that smell.

To her, this home seemed old-fashioned, especially with the old water well on the left side of the house, hidden mostly in the shadows as it wasn't even noon yet; the sun was hardly peeking at them from the sky.

"This is Allen's home," Lavi said, rapping on the door front door. "C'mon, Lenalady, get up here on the porch! You're going in, too."

"I know that," Lenalee replied. "But what I don't believe is the bet you made with your friend."

"Hey, I said he'd fall in love with you. I said nothin' 'bout you doing the same."

"So you're sending him into a field where he may not only get killed by my brother but end up heartbroken?"

"You don't like him?" Lavi eyed her curiously. Surely she didn't hate Allen. Lavi swears on his life these two are a perfect match, and he won't let some silly grudge over yesterday stop the relationship from flourishing... Only because it was his fault why it started like that, but hey, neither holds grudges too long as long as you don't give them a reason to keep a grudge. So... yeah. This will work, Lavi thought, this will work.

"Well, I suppose I don't hate him, neither am I fond of him right now, nor am I keen on this," Lenalee said truthfully.

"Then think of it this way: Allen is your temporary boyfriend. Get him to treat you like you're his girlfriend and act the whole thing out. You get what I'm sayin'?"

Lenalee hummed thoughtfully. That had nothing to do with the bet Lavi made. Allen and Lavi simply made a bet that he would fall in love with her in one month's time, giving him twenty-nine to thirty-one days to succumb to this feeling Lavi is significantly insisting on he'll have after Allen knows her a bit more. But that also meant Allen had to spend a month with her. Just hanging out and talking and whatnot. Lavi never mentioned Allen playing the role of a boyfriend. Although that sounded tempting. Even if pretending or forced into it, Lenalee could have some real fun with this and enjoy every minute of it, and maybe Lavi is right, and she might also fall in love with Allen. It would be nice, wouldn't it, to be in love? To have a boyfriend? The closest to a boyfriend she has is a boy _friend_. Friend of opposite sex.

"Is there anything I should know about him before we go in?" Lenalee asked, smiling as she thought about all the things she could do with a 'boyfriend.' The sweet smile earned Lavi's mischievous grin; Lenalee was eager, he could tell by the aura emanating from her.

"For starters, don't make fun of his height. Secondly, Allen is a major cool Brit, so when he says matter, he won't pronounce it mat-ter but mat-er. He grew up in London for awhile, I think, or it was around there. But it's cool when he sometimes slips up, since he tries so hard to conceal his lovable accent. Anyway, we say soda, right? Right. Allen will say fizzy drink. Sometimes he says bloody hell, and who don't love that-"

"You're rambling, Lavi," Lenalee interjected.

"Sorry. Thirdly, Allen reads a lot. One time, he read a whole series and two other books in one day. True story. Fourth, Allen is totally a polyphagian. Phew, really freaky sometimes."

"What does that mean?" Lenalee asked, blinking.

"Look it up."

"Lavi!"

"Trust me, you'll know what I mean when you witness it," Lavi told her, his tone mild yet suggestive, meaning she wasn't going to learn anything else from Lavi and there were a few quirks he especially didn't want to tell her about.

"Allen!" Lavi rapidly banged on the door as he shouted. "Allen! C'mon, open up!"

No answer. Lavi sighed, drawing the conclusion he was A) Rudely disregarding Lavi, B) Sleeping, C) Not home, or D) Allen is pensive and droning everything out of his hearing range. Then he supposed Allen could be busy doing something. Perhaps reading another book.

Unhesitating, Lavi reached for the doorknob and checked to see if it was locked. Of course it was. Lavi surveyed the porch, thinking of possible areas the spare key Allen hides could be. Last time Lavi found it, Allen hid it somewhere else. This has happened over a dozen times though, so the key might be somewhere in the yard. Lavi wouldn't be all too surprised if he buried his key in the yard just to keep Lavi from finding it and entering the house without _breaking_. Hence he can't be charged with breaking and entering, can he? Nope, nope, nope.

Lavi inspected the brown beams supporting the porch's roof and studied the concrete beneath his feet for any cracks, as there had previously been several, but Allen had fixed those already. The mailbox was all the way at the end of the driveway-

"Are you coming in or not?" Lenalee asked, amusement evident in her voice.

The green-eyed redhead looked in her direction to see she was standing inside Allen's doorway, naturally meaning the door was opened. So much for not breaking and entering depending on what tactic she used, but his surprise lit up his own light-tanned face. He blinked in perplexity for a few moments, trying to formulate the way Lenalee could have possibly manage to silently break in Allen's house. "How did you..?"

She jabbed her finger at the window to the wall by the stairs, as Allen's porch had no railings and the other side of the porch didn't have a wall nor a wooden beam, whereas the left side of the porch got cut off by an extra room one of his uncles built as a special add-on (against Allen's insistence of total disapproval) while Lavi was in college. So he hadn't thought about the window, seeing it for the second time and still readjusting to it when Allen grew up in this house since he moved here from London, meaning Lavi came here often, and the window ruined his familiarity.

The window was propped open and Lenalee had climbed in, but Lavi couldn't get in that even if he tried. Even if he broke the window. He was too broad. Nevertheless, pondering over it was unnecessary. She got in and that is all that matters.

"Are you sure he's home?" Lenalee asked as he came in, closing the door behind him.

"Yep." Lavi nodded vigorously.

"How do you know?"

"I hear the ole blu-wo- wo-uu-uues," Lavi said gleefully, stretching blues like an old hound dog howling at the rain and thunder.

Lenalee strained her ears to listen for any noticeable notes and surely enough, there was a slow relaxing beat of the drums and maybe the other instrument was an electric guitar or bass. Either way, they were both the same to her, only one has two strings less.

The music seemed to drift in the air, the tenor voice seemly filling her with ease. There suddenly appeared to be a lot less to worry about, if she had been worried at all. It's not like she was nervous to come to Allen's house uninvited, when already with bad start if she recalls their first meeting. Might she add it was Allen, in the end, who initially made what could have been well go bad. Then if we want to put the blame on anyone for that, the whole blame would go on the redhead beside her, wouldn't it?

After standing there silently, maybe stupidly, as she realized she closed her eyes and lightly swayed her head and hips to the music, Lavi grasped her wrist and tugged her toward the music. The fresh smell of toast, eggs, and cinnamon entered her nose, allowing her to concede they were heading toward the kitchen. It smelled so good, no matter the peculiarity of the additional concoction of cinnamon... apples... strawberries... and something else.

"He _cooks_?" Lenalee gasped in a soft whisper.

"Yup." Lavi smiled knowingly, effortlessly understanding she was indubitably impressed and pleased by this fact.

* * *

Allen covered his mouth with the back of his hand as he drawled a yawn, pouring pancake batter in one pan, setting it down, and grabbing a mit as the oven beeped, then sluggishly pulling three pies out of the oven and inserting three more. Quickly, or as quickly as his somnolent body would allow, he buttered his toast and popped four toaster strudels out of the toaster, and the microwaved beeped, slightly startling Allen enough to slid his butter knife off his toast and over his thumb and wrist. With a feeble, mildly annoyed groan, Allen set his toast down, hurried to the stove to flip the pancakes, mentally praising himself for not making waffles this morning, although he settled with french toast too... Why must he have such a large, uncontrollable appetite?

Not to mention how excruciatingly difficult it is to simply walk about cooking all his breakfast without tasting even the tiniest of tarts! Oh, damn, he forgot bacon and sausage this morning! Allen sighed, taking his warm syrup out of the microwave. His eyes drooped with sleep, and Allen decided not to make anything else after what's currently cooking, baking, toasting, is done. Strangely, there was this weird sensation that told him forgot something-

"Yo, bro, whatsup?"

Allen's heart jumped in his throat and he nearly hit the ceiling as his arms jerked up, sending his frosted cinnamon strudel across the room and smack into a window. More from self-defense instincts, Allen also spun around and slammed his scorching pan smackdab in the putative burglar/intruder's face with a vibration reverberating up his arms, followed soon by a scream of the male intruder.

Lowering his pan, impassive despite the enormous disappointment of a loss of a huge pancake, he recovered by a mix of surprise, irritation, and an ounce of fear as he conceived the fiery red hair. Dread yet proud emotions surged through him as he thought it might have been his uncle. Briefly. Then that bit of thrill was crushed by his moronic friend, holding his bleeding nose with a continuous hiss, who had the gull to _glare _at _Allen_.

"What the hell, Allen!?" Lavi screamed, yanking the pan out of his friend's hand with reasonable distrust and frustration. For a moment he thought it fair to slam said pan hard against Allen's face.

The indifferent gray-eyed attacker gave him a pointed look. "Reflex," he answered simply, shrugging it off, though the anger shined in his lovely orbs. "What'd you expect from a half asleep person who is suddenly greeted by a trespasser? Cheers! Have I ever told you how much of an idiot you are?"

"All the friggin' time."

"It isn't friggin' or freakin'," Allen said matter-of-factly. "It's only 'all the time.'" Allen sometimes says things like 'all the freaking time,' but he was annoyed beyond comparison, still extremely tired, and he felt like aggravating the intruder for the hell of it. Lavi hates it when Allen corrects him. Hardly shows it, but he absolutely hates it. Mainly because Allen slips up and says similar phrases.

It's torture enough Americanism has crept into his linguistics. Odd, since he actually likes how some Americans talk, but he's a native English man who moved here years ago for reasons unspecified to his friends.

"Dude, cram it before I cram my fist in your mouth," Lavi threatened pointlessly.

Allen shrugged, jerking Lavi toward the wooden table in the center of the kitchen as he got a new rag and soaked it under cold water from the faucet, purely feckless and deliberate. "Did I break your nose?" he asked.

"No," Lavi muttered. "I don't think so."

"Too bad."

"Hey!"

Allen returned to his side as he yawned again, carefully pulling Lavi's hand away from his nose, wiping the blood off Lavi's fingers and face, then squeezing the rag somewhat tightly to the top of Lavi's nose as he gently forced the redhead to tip his head back. Why he did such a thing? Well, his father used to do the same thing to Allen whenever he got a bloody nose, and since Allen had a habit of running face first into objects, including the ground, he had a lot of those. Never once broke his nose, however. Besides, Allen sometimes feels like a fatherly figure in his group of friends; unusual, what with being the youngest of all his friends. But he can't help it he feels like he must act like a father. It might be more normal to say he acts like a caring big brother. Even so, he's still the youngest.

"Thanks." Lavi's voice was scruffy and strangled, nasally.

"You're welcome," Allen murmured, cleaning up his mess and tossing out the filthy food.

Allen finally noticed Lenalee standing in the kitchen doorway, observing his favorite room in the house. "Why are you here?"

Lenalee stared at Allen's dull, torpid figure. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks as she noticed he was still dressed in his pajamas, solely a pair of light gray loose-fitting trousers reaching to his ankles and a baggy snow silk shirt with its sleeves rolled up sloppily to his forearms, dangling past his thighs without being buttoned up. His unbuttoned pj shirt revealed the muscles hidden yesterday under his clothes, and she wondered mentally if he worked out, even if he wasn't bulk and of average muscular build... It was just like wow, unexpected.

Fascinating. His movement, obviously insecure under her keen interest, her intense 'analysis', to urgently rolled his sleeves down shifted her attention to his left arm, where she ephemerally saw its sanguine color. In that moment Lenalee acknowledged the fact that Allen is going to be an enigma.

"Why," Allen repeated, "are you here?"

Lenalee reluctantly tore her eyes away from his physique to his face, sadly. Allen decided not to divulge his build to her anymore, for he buttoned up his shirt. "I heard about your bet."

He arched a white eyebrow. "And that explains your appearance in my home how?"

"Don't be offended, Lenalady," Lavi quickly said. "Allen hates it when people come in his house uninvited."

"Yes, maybe because it happens far too much, don't you agree?" Allen put all his food on the table and took a bite of his toast. "Hmm, needs sugar, too... Anyway, if you don't mind, I am not in the mood to deal with your meddling today. I've had little sleep, I've got to research something, and I have to prepare for my uncle's undetermined visit some day within the next week or so."

"Oh, Neah's coming?" Lavi grinned. "Dude, that man is cool. Creepy, but cool."

"He's redundant, always judgemental, and his criticism on how I continue to live my life is unwelcome. He says he needs to check on me every now and then because he _must _make sure I'm 'behaving adequately and supervising my life properly.'" Allen snorted, inhaling two pieces of toast in frustration. "I think I know how to take care of myself."

"Oh, he probably wants to make sure you're doing okay by yourself," Lenalee pitched.

"No, Neah wants to meddle in my life, make me feel inferior, criticize my tastes and styles and everything I do, manipulate me into bending to his whims, embarrass me not only in front of pedestrians but the whole world, and constantly antagonize me to 'fix my life' and get a wife. I don't see why I need to marry. This isn't the nineteenth century." Allen eyed Lenalee's amused, disbelieving expression. "Also, I don't believe in marriage."

"What's wrong with marriage?" Lenalee demanded.

"It doesn't guaranteed committment, let's begin there."

"I think it does," Lenalee disagreed loudly. "I believe it proves committment. You plan to devote the rest of your life to one man or woman."

Allen licked his lips clean of syrup and frosting. "And how often does this diplomacy go cold? Your creed is foolish. Marriage is just paper, rings, and mostly lies of committing I do's. Worse yet, this marriage must be approved to be divorced, shall, and when, a couple decides they no longer want this committment. Furthermore, how often is someone jaded? How often does the man or woman become unfaithful? How often is the 'love' fake or for the money?"

Lenalee pursed her lips tightly so they were turning white, and looked at Lavi angrily. "You expect me to spend a month with this asshole?"

"What an unrefined way to speak," Allen mused, no longer meeting her eye and finishing his blueberry pie.

"I hope you're talking about yourself-"

"Ladies, ladies!"

Allen glared at Lavi, holding up his pan again, thinking he could use it to his advantage. Inwardly he commended himself for keeping it on his lap, because Lavi shot him a nervous apologetic look and said, "I was referring to Lenalady and me!" See? He's an idiot. He could have simply said he was referring to Lenalee.

"Look dude and dudette, the bet is made, and you two will be spending time together, so I suggest you get your asses-"

"I am not spending time with this ungrateful jerk/I refuse to waste my day with her!"

"-in gear!" Lavi slanted his one eye and looked from Allen to Lenalee repeatedly. "Allen, you back out of the bet and you lose, then you'll suffer the consequences. And Lenalee, you promised to go along with this, if just for the hell of it. So, well, you're going with it!"

Allen clamped his mouth shut tightly, disregarding both their gazes. Lenalee isn't bad. Maybe it was their beliefs and the way Lavi forced them to meet which made them bitter toward each other. Even so...

"I have a solution," Lavi claimed cheerfully, and Allen decided his new nasally voice made him more annoying than ever rather than funny.

"We don't need a resolution," Lenalee mumbled.

"I think I quite well agree with her this time," Allen said, gently tapping the pan on Lavi's head. "Your plans are dangerous, moronic, and embarrassing, as well as insulting and foolish. When you try to help, don't."

"But Allen, this idea is really great!"

"Sure it is."

"It is!"

* * *

It was not.

Allen rubbed his eyes, perhaps more uncertain, stressed, and weary than exasperated. "Why, may I ask, is Kanda here?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Kanda grumbled, glaring at the hyper redhead who gathered the second better, Lenalee, who the betters call the bet-of, and the daft, long-haired, vexing, short-tempered brute who everybody loved to hate, and hated to love.

"Here's da the thing," Lavi explained, shoving Allen into a booth, pushing Lenalee in the booth after him, and dragging Kanda into the seat across from Allen and sitting himself down on the soft leather-like cushions, trapping Kanda from trying to escape. "Ya know of the bet, right, Kanda?"

"What bet?" Kanda felt like smashing heads together.

"I bet against Allen that he will fall in love-" Kanda snorted. "-_in love_ with Lenalee in one month's time."

"Don't snort," Lenalee hissed, kicking Kanda under the table. "I'm lovable."

"Che, right."

"So why is he here?" Allen asked dully, opening a glass bottle of apple juice he bought at the mini-mart before they came to Ark of Edo. "I don't see his point in this bet."

"I'm getting there," Lavi said with a long sigh, as if he were talking to a stupid person. "How does someone fall in love? Easy! They spend time together. So here are the conditions of the bet."

Allen gritted his teeth on the glass as he took a big gulp. It was all too easy to assume he wasn't going to like the conditions, nor would any likely benefit Allen. Lavi wants to watch Allen squirm and twist until he breaks. The only other option is to fall in love with Lenalee, and sorry, that won't happen, no matter how nice of a guy he is. Sure, friends, maybe, but nothing more. Lavi wants to win this bet one way or another. Too bad for him he'll lose again.

"In all actual definition, people are supposed to fall in love by meeting, becoming friends, then moving past that steady boundary to dating. Well, that's the normal way, I would think." Allen glanced at Lenalee as he spoke.

"Which is why I planned out how you will fall in love with her!"

"Love is also desultory."

"But you never planned on falling in love, so it will be desultory. Uh, d-d-duh!" Lavi grinned madly while Allen leaned against the wall, frowning. "Damn, what the hell is effing wrong with you? You're such a grouch these last few days, Allo."

Because I have to write an abhorrent romance, Allen thought sourly. It was ridiculous. Why must he write a romance? Really, he wanted to know. Because there have been people who write horrors and mysteries and friendship based novels, and only those genres. Was it because Allen has written everything, _everything_ but romance thus far in his career. And he was just in his prime. He had so many more ideas, numerous he desperately wanted to put on paper and sell.

"So why did you stop explaining?" Allen asked.

"Oh, because I waiting for somebody's cruel comment," Lavi answered, shrugging. "Anyway, you will be spending time with my homegirl, Allo, and Lenalee will appreciate the time eventually. Furthermore, the conditions are you will be spending some time together, every day, for the next month, or till Allen confesses his love."

"Not going to happen," Allen uttered, just to irritate Lavi, which it worked if the twitching brow was any indication.

"Second condition: Allen and Lenalee will go through two stages. Stage one, friendship stage. Stage two, dating." Lavi held up two fingers, one in Allen's face and the other in front of Lenalee's violet eyes. "During stage one, you behave like natural friends, hang out with other friends, get to know basics about each other, work on _dynamics_."

"Wow. You're so _smart_." Lenalee grabbed his finger and turned it on him. "We know that Rudolph."

The redhead covered his nose, glaring at the culprit who slammed the pan in his handsome face and left a shiny burn mark on his nose. It glows in the light and even in the dark! It was deadly crucial, terrible. Oh, how he would avenge his nose, and Allen won't see it coming.

Meanwhile, Allen snickered. "Serves you right, Ruddy."

"Continuing!" Lavi grumbled, flicking Allen in the nose. The friend frowned, amusement still in his gray eyes, as he pushed Lavi's hand away from his face. "Stage two is where Allen will become Lenalee's boyfriend and Lenalee will become Allen's girlfriend. They will go on dates. Spend alone time together, which of course you can do that during friendship stage, too."

"You seriously are a loon, aren't you? Yes, yes, you are." Allen shook his head, attempting to stand up and ditch them, but Lenalee coiled her fingers around his wrist and forced him back into his seat. Besides, it was foolish of him to try, what with having no choice but to climb over Lenalee or the wall to run away.

"Go on, Rudolph," Lenalee cooed, smiling. The tingling feeling in her stomach and the many great ideas coursing through her mind made her eager. Even if Allen doesn't come to enjoy her whole company, Lenalee would absolutely have fun. And from certain stories Lavi has told her about, she knows Allen is a nice guy, but he's been backed in a corner with this whole ordeal, so she can't really blame him. "I'd like to hear more."

"Condition three is," Lavi continued, "Allen cannot, cannot, cannot, _cannot_ call off this bet even as we speak. Otherwise he'd lose, so he has no choice but to spend the entire month with my favorite girl in the world."

"I don't see what the hell this has to do with me," Kanda grouched impatiently.

"Each person will be assigned a partner to confide in." Lavi interlaced his fingers together joyously. "In other words, Lenalee will have me as a partner to tell me what she thinks about Allen, how he behaves, and I will advise her and supervise her and keep her influenced to take part and whatnot. Understand?"

"Not really," Allen admitted.

"Lemme try again-"

"And speak English."

"As I was saying, I will supervise Lenalee. I will be her confident. I will advise her. I will inform her of little tidbits. This is mostly for supervision to make sure there's no foul play." Lavi made a weary gesticulation toward Kanda. "He will be yours, Allen. Any problems? Talk to him. Any complaints? Talk to him. Need advise? Ask him. Also, Yuu will be supervising Allen."

"Hell no! I am not playing babysitter the Beansprout!"

"And I get no benefits from this at all."

"Honestly, Lavi, I don't see the point in that condition," Lenalee bluntly informed.

"In time you will, and yes, Yuu, you're gonna help." Lavi grinned mischievously, and Kanda glared at Lavi, a sense of wariness washing over the eldest of the group.

Kanda had a nauseating feeling about this. Lavi succeeds in the only things nobody wants him to, and those are his meddling antics or bribery, aggravating coaxing, blackmail. Yes, definitely the blackmail.

Not that Kanda was afraid of the redhead. Far, far from it. Kanda loathed him almost as much as Tiedoll, though Lavi wasn't quite there yet on that high a bar. But Kanda doesn't _trust_ the rabbit. He has ways of getting things done, many more ways of ticking Kanda off, and even more ways of being a nuisance. Oh, wait, that's just existing. Never mind.

"Hey, Yuu, you remember how people do some of the craziest things in college..." Lavi whispered low enough so only Kanda's ears could hear him.

Definitely bad.

* * *

"Skee Ball?" Allen suggested, bored and pushing past his putative friend's austerity, which is likely to get worse. Lavi really wanted to make this hard on Allen.

And Allen has things to do. Neah will be coming over soon, and Allen was lucky enough to get a notice this time, so he had to clean the house spotless, bake pies (because everyone knows Neah loves pies and music) for him, hide whatever Neah may not like, buy new clothes, and most definitely, without question, conceal his Red's stories unless they're hard copy books. Neah must not know about Allen being Red D. Gray. Neah has always disapproved of Allen's love for books, always beckoned Allen toward music, even said acting in silly movies were better, and his relentless scorn over such 'obscene hobbies' Allen chooses over the 'vivacious and wonderful, get-you-somewhere dreams' is unnerving and bemuddling. Mana never would have tried to sway Allen's imagination. Never. In fact, Allen wrote a book with his father before he died. It wasn't the best by far, but it held such fond memories and it was meaningful. It was the monumental beginning of Allen's love for writing, and one day Allen hopes to publish his book he made with Mana, although, he hasn't read it since Mana's death.

Allen missed Mana. Even today the pain was crushing him. Even these days he cries like a baby over Mana's death. A good cry never hurt anyone, but Allen hasn't yet cried in front of his friends or family since the funeral, so he cries alone where he can release most and the worst of all his emotions that tear him up inside.

"This is your fault," Kanda growled, hitting Allen upside the back of his skull. "If it wasn't for your stupidity I wouldn't be here."

Where did he get it was Allen's stupidity? Lenalee wondered as she inserted a coin in the pinball machine beside the lane of Skee Ball contraptions. Kanda must be covering up his own lack of intelligence again. All brawn and no brains, that saying matches Kanda too often. He has the muscle, but he must have scared his own brains out the door.

"Where do you get it's my 'stupidity?'" Allen demanded loudly.

"Because you're stupid!"

"Am not! I'm was a straight A student, thank you."

"Liar."

"You only prove my theory of you right," Allen muttered, and Lenalee curiously glanced over her shoulder at the bickering 'partners' according to Lavi's new conditions. What the hell was he thinking? Kanda supervise Allen? The guy could barely supervise himself! And why did Lenalee need supervision? She sort of understood Allen, but her? What was Lavi up to this time?

"What's that, Beansprout?"

Allen twitched irritably as the ball he had set course for one hundred points slipped from his grasp too soon because of Kanda's intentional insult swiftly halved Allen's patience and he scored ten points by chance. Kanda smirked.

"Are they always like this?" Lenalee asked.

"Yep."

"They could at least have a decent debate over their stupidity," Lenalee criticized, releasing the silver ball from it's port and watched it carefully as the machine dazzled her face with bright, blinking lights and creative laser beam, rocket, and explosive noises as the pinball bounced off everything. Lavi watched intently while listening to the bickering pair behind them.

"I mean, it's Kanda fault for getting wasted at a college party," she added logically. "Especially with you. It's his own fault for letting his arrogant pride take control because someone said he was too scared to drink or something like that. In a way, Kanda chose to kiss that guy. What his name again?"

"Tokusa. Heh, that guy was drunk, too, Lenalady. He probably forgot all about it, and it was a test of a man's pride! You don't mess with the iron pride-"

"It's an excuse used by men," Lenalee interjected. "Pride is just a metaphorical being you think needs to stay inside you 'cause you're afraid to be embarrassed or insulted, or for other reasons I may never understand. Especially Yuu Kanda."

"Harsh, girl, harsh."

"And it's Allen's own asininity for agreeing to your feeble bet, which makes me wonder how simple-minded you could be. If you do win the bet it doesn't necessarily mean I'll love him and I'm sorry, if I don't love him like _that_ I'll break his heart and it'll break my heart for being truthful. I'll be the guilty culprit. Then you make me look bad."

Lavi tapped her forehead gently. "Der, I told ya you'd love the Brit."

"Brit?" Lenalee repeated, hitting the pinball back to the top, and she quickly shoved his arm out of the way. "Oh, that's right, he's from London. I always wanted to go to London. And Paris. Maybe Tokyo. Rome, too, or would I say Barcelona? I can't remember."

"You're rambling, Lena," Lavi pointed out, snickering as Kanda failed again to score thirty points let alone the hundred he bet the white-haired Beansprout beside him he could make all while they were insulting each other. "You ought to talk to Allen, though. Trust me, be nice to him and he'll apologize 'bout yesterday at the party, and this morning. Although, what can you do? Allen doesn't believe in love."

"Then why make the bet, Lavi?" Lenalee sighed as the pinball finally dropped to the bottom and she was rewarded with a bunch of tickets; Lenalee only ripped them away and stuffed them in her pocket before leaning on the machine, eyeing her best friend, confused. "I don't see the point in making a bet with someone who never loses a bet and who claims to never fall in love."

"He will," Lavi reassured her, smiling. It held no impish tendencies, it didn't imply wickedness. It held sincerity. "I've known Yuu since we were in second grade."

"I met you when I was twelve."

"Not you." Lavi pointed at Kanda. "Yuu. Now, you, I've known since I was thirteen, and I met Allen just a few years later. You're all my pals and we're family, and now you and Allen can befriend each other and feel the same about this family. But I never wanted you two to meet at first."

Lenalee curled her hair around her finger, letting her attention drift to Allen tentatively, almost mesmerized by the smirk broad on his lips and the tension of the challenge between Kanda and Allen. They were friends, but they were rivals. Anyone could see that if they actually knew Kanda, and Lenalee has only seen Kanda act like this a couple times before. It was truly remarkable to think somebody could provoke Kanda's thrill, anger, contempt, among other things, all at once. Allen must be special. Lenalee wanted to know why Allen made her other best friend act like this, recalling only Lavi being capable of doing this to the long-haired guy before.

But she thought about Lavi's speech. Lavi has always been impatient on having new people he meets greet his friends. Kanda almost always scares them away though. "Why?"

"Because I felt there would be something special between you two," Lavi told her. "Allen has a lot of quirks, then I guess you do as well. He, perhaps, has more secrets, and some I don't know myself. I think you could help him. I always believed Allen would adore you, and you would admire him. It may be some betise intuition. I'll risk it all for you two, in the end. I'm certain you and Allen will be a gem."

He looked at Lenalee, keeping his remark to himself about how she was ogling Allen, mostly his left arm. _So she get catch a glimpse earlier_... "Lenalee, I've debated the facts by listening to you and silently watching how and why Allen declines whoever comes to like him or whoever I think would be good for him. In the end I conclude you as the best person for Allen. You have the traits, you can be lovable, and you're respectable. I waited a few years because... I wanted to make absolute sure... Neither of you would get hurt."

"I appreciate the thought..." Lenalee contemplated the new series of events and proclamations. "I'll give it a try, then, since you're so certain."

"That's my girl!"

Lenalee playfully nudged Lavi, then darted over to Allen as he scored another hundred, his lips stretching from ear to ear proudly as he snickered mockingly as Kanda scored ten yet again. Lenalee giggled, curling her arm in Allen's, earning two new set of eyes. Allen blinked, tilting his head slightly as he tried to understand what she was doing. Then it dawned on him which arm she grabbed hold of and a wave of discomfort irked him, his arm feeling itchy from his disconcerting irritation.

"Can I help you?" he asked slowly, thinking of subtle ways to make her relinquish her hold on his left arm.

"Let's go get a snack. I haven't eaten for hours." And Lenalee started tugging him toward the snack bar in the middle of the huge arcade.

"He-hey, my tickets!" Allen pouted, trying to reach for them pointlessly. "Lavi, you better not steal my tickets! I wasted the money I easily won from Kanda to get all those!"

"If they steal them I'll pay you back," Lenalee said.

He, surprised by her offer, picked up his feet and matched her stride. Earlier he hadn't processed how normal she looked today compared to yesterday, wearing only a pair of mid-thigh denim shorts and light green t-shirt with a few streaks of silvery-gray outlined by white, looking as thuh it wee spray-painted on. It was pretty cute, a bit childish, yet she made it work like a mature young adult. But he was sure she had a jacket when he saw her this morning.

"You're staring, Allen," Lenalee noted, nudging him.

"Probably because you look completely different from yesterday."

"And you're just realizing this?"

"Yes," he bashfully affirmed, letting his eyes stray to the old fashion arcade games. "You don't need do that. I don't really care all too much about the tickets."

"Oh?"

"I just keep them so Lavi can't get the big grand prizes. I use my tickets to buy candy and marbles."

"You collect marbles?"

"Not exactly," Allen grinned, glancing back at Kanda. "I hand Kanda back his marbles since he loses them so much."

She glanced back at Kanda, letting the joke sink in. When she understood, she covered her mouth as she laughed and Allen relaxed, his stiff muscles loosening, as he chuckled lightly. It may not be that funny a joke, but he's told it to several people, including Lavi and Tyki, and no one thought it funny. Only him. His favorite part of the joke is when Kanda's brithday comes round and Christmas too, because then he buys a whole box full of different colored, designed, and shaped marbles just for Kanda and gift wrap it with genuine love. Allen always cracked up when Kanda opened it up, the look of pure incredulity, it was hilarious.

"Didn't you say Kanda proved your theory about him right?" Lenalee wondered.

"Uh-huh, you heard that?"

"I'm sure everyone heard the both of you."

A blaze of red crossed Allen's cheeks as he noticed a few stares drifting toward him every now and then from bystanders and game players, or those sitting at the booths. It's amazing Ark of Edo is more than just an arcade, also a pizzeria, has an indoor playground, including the swings, and there's even an indoor pool, a gift shop, and a few other fun-filled rooms. Allen used to love the ball pool and Lavi enjoyed a good game of laser tag. Kanda was just a twit Lavi would drag along, but he played about half the games here and Allen could honestly say he is terrible, unqualified to even insert the coins.

"Were we that loud?" Allen asked dumbly.

"Yeah."

"Oops," Allen dunked his head a little.

"So what was this theory?" Lenalee curiously questioned.

"That Kanda is philopolemicist, but I've known that for years." Allen shrugged, and they approached the snack bar, obviously not noticing the confused look Lenalee sent his way.

"What's that mean?"

"It's what you call someone who loves to argue or debate," Allen explained.

"Then Kanda is a philopol-whatever."

Allen smiled. "It's philopolemicist. Phil-lop-pa-lum-ist. Then Lavi says I say it wrong because of my accent, so I maybe you shouldn't take my word on that."

"But that sounds cute. Weird. But cute. It sort of sounds like you're saying plum."

_Does it really sound like I say plum in philopolemicist?_ Allen gently pushed her toward the snack bar as the person in front of them left. Lenalee read the list, taking her good ole time since nobody else was behind them at the moment.

"Hello, Sachiko, it's good to see you again," Allen greeted the snack bar clerk.

"Hi, Allen," Sachiko replied, staring at their interlaced arms. "This your girlfriend?"

Lenalee blushed, immediately yanking her arm out of his and violently shaking her head. She didn't know why the question gave her such a start, but it did. The feeling - heated cheeks and the nervous, yet delicate beating of her frightened heart that pumped all the blood to her flushed face - Lenalee wasn't all too sure if she liked it, nor was she certain she hated it. It was nice, for once having the possibility of a boyfriend, and if what Lavi says about him is true, he'd be an amazing beau for her. The serious, heartfelt speech of Lavi's moments ago... It kinda convinced her Allen just might be _the one_... So...

Was that why she was so anxious over the question? Nervous? Could she be nervous? Now why would she be _nervous_? And what was with all the questions suddenly? Her mind felt like it would explode.

"Uh, you okay?" Allen, concerned, asked Lenalee, feeling her forehead. "You're not that warm but... You're flushed. Maybe it's the air. You haven't eaten since this morning either, didn't you say that? You need food and water..." Allen lowered his hand, meeting Lenalee's violet gaze of wide-eyed wonder. "What?"

Where did this Allen come from? All of a sudden he was... worried, automatically at her side.

"You ought to order, then we'll go somewhere else more refreshing." Allen looked at Sachiko, who was smiling at them. "What?"

"You got a girlfriend," she sang, giggling.

"She's not my girlfriend," Allen evenly protested, glancing over his shoulder to look at Lavi. Only one problem, he moved. So now they had to go searching for the older duo. With a sigh, Allen checked his watch for the time; dinnertime. The time really flew by today.

"Okay, Sachiko, I got a big order for you, and it's to go. You think you can handle it, or should I write it down?"

"We don't have to leave! I'm all right!" Lenalee waved her hands in front of her face frantically, but her stomach did feel dull, throat dry, the heat stayed, and maybe she was a tad dizzy... Dehydration sucks. Moreover, it really sucks when it overcomes you so easily.

Allen took one last look at her and shook his head, pointing at the empty booth they sat at a couple hours ago. "Go sit down. I'll bring the food and then go get the other two."

"But-"

"No buts, Lenalee."

"Allen-"

"Don't Allen me either."

"Fine. Beansprout, I am a big girl and you are a small boy, so don't tell me what to do."

Sachiko burst into laughter as Allen faltered, choking on air. Then his lips drew a thin line, eyes squinted, as he dragged her over to the table and forced her, though very carefully, to sit down and stomped away from her without a word. Lenalee hadn't meant to be crude, but she wasn't sure if it came off that way to him. Lenalee overheard Sachiko say something about another persistent nagger on his height and he simply scoffed, ordering a whole bunch of candy, seven pizzas, and multiple _fizzy_ drinks for the group, and much more. Keeping track made her head spin.

It took less time than she expected for Allen to march over to her with all the food and drinks, all too precariously, surprisingly too smoothly. When he set everything down he gave her a bottle of ice-cold water. "Here, this will help. If you feel faint or if it gets too hot in here, call or text my cell phone. Lavi no doubt put it in your contacts within the last few days. Somehow."

"Tha-thank you," Lenalee stuttered, rotating the bottle in her hands. Allen started to turn to leave afterwards, nodding his acceptance. "Wait, Allen, about what I said... I'm sorry."

He looked a her long and hard, studying her heart-shaped face, her beautiful silk hair dangling in pigtails, her shimmering lavender irises. Yes, indeed, extremely _too_ attractive. Allen wondered what she looked like under all that makeup though.

This time, when he smiled, it was the warmest, most meaningful, earnest curve of the lips; it admitted relief throughout Lenalee. _Allen is devilish handsome. Now that I look at him..._

"I should be apologizing," Allen said gingerly, his gaze matching his lips' soft smile. "I have been a bit rude the last few days, and I haven't be behaving all too well around you either." He patted her arm. "I'm sorry, Lenalee, about what I said yesterday and this morning."

As he walked away in the shadows of the arcade, as there was hardly any light here unless it came from the games, Lenalee watched his back in awe, nearly starstruck. Lenalee couldn't place just who he was... But she liked him. Allen will be a wonderful friend, but more than that? Lenalee wondered. Truthfully, after the party last night, which is when Lavi informed her of the bet also, Lenalee couldn't stop thinking about Allen. How they first met should have started out differently. Even so, she needn't apologize about what happened. But he did. He actually apologized. Most people she's met before, their betise pride refused to let them.

Lenalee ultimately knew Allen was different, if the white hair was any indication, and that mark on his face she barely took notice of... Yes, he caught her keen eye. Then it could also be what Lavi told her influencing her to like Allen...

Lenalee pressed her head against the water bottle with a quirky smile. "Allen Walker," she murmured, sliding the bottle in front of her closed eyes. "I want to know more about you."

* * *

_Alright! Second chapter up. Yay! Just wanna let everyone know I love this story as much as everyone loves reading it if they've read thus far. Also expect most of the chapters to be long. Since each chapter represents ONE entire DAY, or at least most of the day, the chapters will be long. Although this oe turned out longer than I expected, but I'm sure you guys don't mind the length as long as it's fulfilling and you enjoy reading almost or all of it._

_Furthermore, I have a poll set up on my profile, so please look at it if you aren't only an Allen X Lenalee fan. I wold highly appreciate some votes and I mos definitely appreciate the reviews. I'll try to respond to each one, too. Wow, five reviews for the first chapter. Thanks! And for my first story!_

_I promise I won't work or start another story until I finish this one, so no worries! I plan on finishing this no matter how long it takes. However, I was expecting to finish it within two months, but with the lengths of the chapters it might take three or four months. Depending._

_The chapter title - Mirabile Dictu - is English according to my dictionary. It means wonder to relate; amazing to say. If there are any words you don't understand, as some of them I'm using are difficult to find sometimes, ask me and I will happily define it for you._

_Thank you for reading!_


	3. Day Three: Like Spartans Burnt By

_Day Three_

_Like Spartans; Burnt By Summer Suns_

Kanda kicked the box spring, jerking the bed slightly to the side, merely stirring the white-haired Beansprout in the plush bed. With a twitch of annoyance, he stomped out of the shortstack's bedroom and slammed the bathroom door against the wall, possibly putting a hole in the spot the door knob slammed against it, and he examined what object to use for his wake up call this morning. He supposed a cup of water would be more than useful if he dumped the water all over the 'sleeping beauty,' in Lavi's words, but chose not to. All hell will break loose this month. Kanda was dragged, again, into a puzzling and imbecilic situation because of Allen, and he was furious now more than he's ever been.

Kanda opened the mirror cabinet, studying the items inside it - cologne, toothpaste, toothbrush, medicine, band-aid box, ointments, first-aid kit, a comb, one rubber band, deodorant, makeup, chap stick, floss-wait, what the hell? _Makeup_? Kanda opened the compact case and surely enough it was makeup.

"He is queer," Kanda scoffed, putting the makeup back. "So I'm doing this shit for nothing. I'll kill that rabbit, then that damn Beansprout."

The raven-haired man closed the mirror, the shampoo and body soap catching his eyes, and ever so slowly, a smirk tugged at his tight lips.

Deviously, Kanda grabbed the closest bottle of soap and began to trot out of the large bathroom. Then an idea came to his head, and yes, it was more then likely Kanda Yuu has spent more time with the hyperactive rabbit who loved to pulled pranks. Although this wasn't much of a prank, more of a sign that straightforwardly says 'I hate you,' 'Go to hell,' and other, more colorful things he cannot say otherwise the criticizing Chinese girl will kick him. Hard.

No, he is not afraid of her, rather, he wishes to avoid pain whenever possible, so he'll be in tip top shape to beat whomever he pleases to a pulp if given just the right motive. But Kanda isn't that impulsive. He has more self-control over his steam than most think. He scowls because he's never happy because he has one thorn or a dagger stuck in his side. Ever since that stupid, wretched, idiotic old man adopted him, against Kanda's will, mind you, life went _whoop_, down, down, down hill.

Now he has to deal with Daisya Barry, who is only a few minor degrees less aggravating than Lavi Bookman Junior. Noise Marie, his older brother by adoption, is the seemly the only person in this whatever-it-is world he can tolerate any day. But no, it had to get worse. Okay, Lenalee Lee, she's an all right girl. Except she is constantly criticizing something, every day, every hour.

"_Kanda, your hair is too long for a guy._"

"_Kanda, use more hospitality._"

"_Kanda, your subzero IQ is dropping my IQ. Stop being D-U-M-B and crack open a book for once. My life might be in jeopardy._"

"_Ugh, that shirt is disgusting._"

"_Your trend is sooooo last season._"

He swears that girl just finds things to bitch about just so she can burn his ears off, but he can easily drone out her nags. It's her slimeball _brother _who is a robotics scientist. Screwing up experiments must run in the genes, because Lenalee is the last person you want to mix bio-chemical liquids with in chem class. Kanda lost his eyebrows once because he was partnered up with her. Lavi decided to help then and slipped Kanda some sleeping pills, which press the snooze button quickly for the Japanese twenty-two-year-old, and the eye-patch had the courage to scribble sparkly pink Sharpie marker eyebrows on Kanda's forehead. Boy, was he pissed.

Komui Lee, Lenalee's over-protective, sister-complex brother... he's a big whiner. All the freaking time. Lenalee didn't make coffee because she stayed up all night studying for exams - whine, whine, whine. Lenalee didn't hug her big baby brother - oh, no, the world is going to end. The list goes on, on, on, on, on - bluntly, there isn't an end as far as Kanda knew. But it's his consistent robot's breakdowns from malfunctions that is the main issue. Lavi and Kanda were nearly skewered like shish kabobs over a dozen times.

But the Beansprout, Allen Walker, is the most annoying person Kanda has ever been doomed to meet. That incessantly sweet smile - Kanda hates that sugary smile. The Beansprout is so_ beany and short_. Kanda hates that more. Allen is invariably holding back his emotions, like his anger for example, and if he's really upset or 'fine,' you never know. He's a pro liar when he wants to wear that ugly mask. Kanda despises that. You know what, Kanda just hates everything about him. Most definitely, without question, unmistakably, his unnerving, outrageous, everlasting obsession with marbles. Seriously, what the hell did he have with _marbles_?

But we're way off track. Yeah, Kanda hates ninety-eight percent of the whole world, Beansprout and the rabbit being over fifty of that, and everyone should know it by now. Kanda does have a special reputation after all.

Before Kanda decided to leave the bathroom, he had his rare opportunity to have _his _kind of fun. Little as it was, he knew the white-haired freak would throw a tantrum over it. So he redecorated the bathroom just a wee, itsy, teenie weenie bit.

A few minutes later, when Kanda woke him up, Allen screamed, rushing to the bathroom as he left the smug, absolutely entertained Kanda in his bedroom. Another loud scream, though this one of horror and rage, disrupted the early morning silence and birds fled out of their peaceful nests outside.

"KANDA!"

"This supervising job might not too bad," Kanda whispered, smirk stretching as he heard an unpleasant crash and breathless groans, and colorful curses.

* * *

Allen couldn't place what was worse: Lavi's bet and spending a month with Lenalee while trying to research the bogus, gut-wrenching, sickening romance novels then turn around and try to write one himself, or having Kanda personally come to his house and wake him up. His 'friend' is cruel, heartless, and destructive. All he is missing is the sadism.

"Can you stop at the store?" Allen asked, pointing at the mall and the multiple mini-stores of less popularity (and with cheaper prices) beside the mall.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I said no."

"You're a bastard, you know that?"

"Really?" Kanda glared at Allen, dumbly taking his cobalt eyes off the road. "Because I hear a lot of people call me the nicest guy in the world."

"That is so bloody ridiculous I can't even laugh," Allen muttered, rubbing his sore eyes that were undoubtedly bloodshot, and rolling down the window, spitting saliva out of his mouth filled with the taste of his shampoo. He still can't believe Kanda squirted his whole bottle of shampoo in Allen's eyes and mouth and up his _nose_ to wake him up! The audacity of the numbskull! And the taste remained disgustingly on his tongue, the fire scorching his nostrils and eyeballs, the scent making him want to vomit. He'll have to buy tweezers to yank out any possible nose hairs just to get rid of the scent completely and _now,_ Allen had to find a new brand of hair soap or he'll throw up every time he takes a shower.

Allen _loathes _Kanda.

"Don't spit out my damn window!" Kanda shouted, grabbing Allen's collar, yanking him back in the vehicle with a grunt.

Allen choked, involuntarily punching Kanda's jaw in order to end his strangling, and the vehicle swerved on the road, causing Allen to tumble back into Kanda, his seatbelt tightening around his waist and making it near impossible to move. The honking of the truck coming toward them head-on drowned out Kanda's hisses, and Allen's scream added to the honking. Kanda winced, thinking how much of a girl Allen sounds like, then the car suddenly swerved back to the other side of the road. Angrily, Kanda elbowed Allen's spine, forcing Allen to jump back in his seat, as the elder of the duo tried to straighten the course of the vehicle's given direction.

The good thing about the street they were on, it was in the outskirts of town and outlining the recreational grove on the west side of town. The bad thing is you've got the parking lot and the stores on your right if you're in the right lane, and the grove on the left, which is a half mile thick, or until you reach the recreational park. The bad part, if you don't understand, is there's too many tree trunks ready to hug them to their deaths if they crash. Now what could be worse, Allen thought, than dying with Kanda?

_Nothing_.

"Don't spit out my damn window," Kanda warned as Allen leaned his head out the passenger door window.

"I'm not spitting," Allen said. "I think I'm going to throw up."

"Aw, hell, no. You can puke when we get there. _Away_ from my car."

Allen glared at Kanda, wiping saliva from his lips that drooled out of his mouth moments ago when Kanda nearly strangled him. "Excuse me if I have the taste of soap on my tongue."

"You could have brushed your teeth."

"You tossed all my toothbrushes in the loo!"

Kanda arched a dark eyebrow, once again, taking his eyes off the road. "Loo? What the hell is _loo_?"

"The bathroom, twit! Or the toilet, in this case, dumbarse!" Allen growled seeing that smug twinkle in Kanda's eyes and the twitch of his lips. "And you broke my front door! You're paying for that, you know that, right? Because you will pay."

"Tch, the hell I am," Kanda muttered defiantly, making a right and Allen read the signs, twitching irritably.

"What the hell, Kanda?"

"What now?" His scowl deepened, and the white-haired companion wanted to slap it off his face.

"Why are we going back into town?"

"Because we're going to Jerry's Cafe."

Allen closed his eyes, taking several deep, deep, _deep _infuriating breaths meant to calm him, doing quite the intended opposite. Kanda took a long route, simply to gather gratification and priggish self-satisfaction by letting Allen see the stores and get a flat-out no. He knew Allen would ask to stop there to replenish his mandatory supplies to keep his hygiene on the endurable side. If Kanda weren't driving the rustbucket bug he has that will no doubt break down, sputtering gas, and literally fall apart, to which Allen would undeniably laugh at, he might have reached over and hit Kanda brainless.

_Wait!_ that's too late.

How Kanda graduate both high school and college is beyond Allen. The only logical conclusion is he cheated or rolled in the hay with his professors...

Allen stared at Kanda, contemplating the possible factor. Then, thinking back to the beginning of Kanda's first semester, Allen remembered Lavi saying Kanda had just one female professor.

"What are you staring at?" Kanda demanded.

"The most revolting organism I've ever laid my eyes on," Allen answered dully, leaning against the door. "You've been arrested before, haven't you?"

"What's my record got to do with anything?"

"I was just thinking-"

"Don't do that. You won't hurt _just _yourself."

"Shut up," Allen hissed, sighing. Kanda is impossible to deal with. He was a rabid dog that needed an electric collar and a cage. "Anyways, I was thinking, it's a fabulous thing mugshots aren't put on mugs. I'd hate to go in the store to buy a new mug and find your face staring at me."

The intensity in the glare Kanda sent Allen's way gave him shivers, but he disregarded Kanda as easily as you disregard grass on the sidewalk. Too bad, Allen thought, I can't stomp all over Kanda's face like the grass. That would be so fun.

Loud honking directly in front of them gained Allen's attention quickly, and he screamed when he realized it was a huge semi-truck they were about to run into. Kanda ignored it, the idiot, and Allen bet his life, which he doesn't have much choice in this scenario, Kanda wanted Allen to apologize over something utterly stupid, so he hastily reached over and jerked the steering wheel to the side, making the world spin and loud screeches penetrated his hearing. Next thing Allen knew, they were stuck in a ditch on the side of the road.

He groaned, inhaling deeply. "This is going to be the longest short ride I've ever had," he murmured, glaring at Kanda. "And I'm going to murder Lavi this time."

* * *

"Did you get any sleep?" Lenalee asked, noticing Allen's red and droopy eyes as he sat down in a chair across from her and Kanda took the empty seat next to her.

"Doesn't matter," Allen whispered, rubbing his sore eyes while managing to look calm, disregarding Kanda's cold stare. "You lied to me twice today Kanda. This isn't Jerry's Cafe."

"No dip, Sherlock."

With a long drawn-out sigh, Allen propped up a menu, and he folded his arms over the tabletop and buried his chin in his arms as he scanned the menu. Lenalee had the urge to throw the menu, somewhat insulted that he hadn't even said hello to her, then somewhat infuriated he was he looking like that - half dead.

"Allen, you really should go back home-"

"Finish that sentence and I will strangle somebody," Allen grumbled, peeking around the large menu book. "After what happened this morning, I am not going back home right now, having had nothing to eat, and suffering through two whole hours with the arsehole beside you."

"You're just asking for a fight today," Kanda hissed, slamming his hands on the table, but before he could reach for Allen's collar and yank him forward, a hand reached out and grasped Kanda's wrist, holding it firmly in place. Kanda's dark eyes followed the appendage straight to the tan face of Tyki Mikk with a low growl, that feigned sweet smile ever so pestering and taunting.

"I suggest you let go of me this instant, Mikk," Kanda seethed.

"Careful, don't use your largest vocabulary in one whole sentence," Tyki mocked, though he relinquished Kanda wrist, darting his attention to the slumped white-haired nephew of his. "I thought you were busy this month, boy?"

"I am," Allen murmured, flipping the page in his menu. "Unfortunately for me, I kept my word and went to the party and let Lavi lure me into a bet. I told you anything he hosts is simply bad. Which, after I eat, someone please remind me to strangle that idiot."

Tyki arched a dark eyebrow curiously, studying the third person at the table and the newest face of Allen's odd-bunch friends. Unlike the boys, she looked pretty normal other than the thick chain bracelet on her arm. It looked heavy for such a scrawny arm. And the pigtails, such a childish feature yet it hadn't looked flamboyant on her.

"Her name's Lenalee," Allen answered Tyki's unspoken question. "She was part of Lavi's stupid bet."

"It's also your bet, Allen, for agreeing to it," Lenalee retorted with an amused smile. "Now tell me then, who's the idiot? The person who created the bet or the person who agreed to it, when you have every right to say no? Hmm?"

"She has a point there, kiddo." Allen glared at Tyki, who simply grinned and waved in returned.

"Anyway, Lenalee, this is Tyki Mikk. He's basically my uncle, but the complications of the matter is unnecessary to discuss." Allen closed the thick restaurant menu book and sighed. "Which, by the way, is none of your concern. However, it is my concern to know precisely why you're here at the mall. . ?"

"Take a wild guess."

"Sheryl and Earl managed to sucker you into bringing both twins and Road here to go shopping because you borrowed money from them for the seventh time this week after losing all of which you gathered in bets, gambits, and to my appetite a couple days ago, and if you didn't you were going to have to play dress-up with Road again and more than likely participate in the twins' stupid archery and gun practice today, as well as pick pennies off the sidewalk for dinner for the rest of the month or deal with Sheryl on his day off tomorrow."

Tyki's eyes briefly widened as he let the shock take its toll on him, then he narrowed his golden eyes and lit up a cigarette in frustration, wanting nothing more than to slap that silly smirk off Allen's face. Yet he had to wonder how Allen managed to say all that in one breath! "How the hell did you get that spot-on?"

"Intuition."

"Sometimes I wonder if your redheaded friend is really the devious one and the girly-man is the brute. No doubt, the new friend of yours is the one with the pretty looks, though."

Allen eyed Tyki from the corner of his eyes. For some reason, the second part of Tyki's small speech irritated him, as if there was a hidden insult in between, other than the fact he's calling Allen ugly. Lenalee beamed - go figure - taking the compliment eagerly and gratefully while Allen pondered over Tyki's mild language.

"What exactly are you implying, Tyki?" Allen asked, deciding to save time and hoping Tyki would answer.

Tyki glanced between Allen and Lenalee, and the way Lenalee ogled Allen's left arm while also seemly watching him with the slightest bit of admiration and thankfulness, so tiny, in fact, she probably didn't even know it was surfacing. "It seems to me," Tyki whispered, leaning down so only Allen could hear him, "that you and the girl are an item."

Gray eyes widened, more from disbelief than shock, and Tyki chuckled. "Tyki, you're losing your mind! I've said it so many times, it should have gone through that thick skull of yours by now. Even Skin knows I won't ever-"

"Fall in love?" Tyki snorted, blowing wisps of smoke in Allen's face. "Listen, boy, love is often a battlefield."

"Oh, and you'd be the expert on it, wouldn't you?" Allen mumbled sarcastically.

"You never know," Tyki responded mildly, dismissing his remark. "Anyway, think of love like a bullet. It sneaks up on you and it's to quick to dodge when it's coming up from behind."

"And where is the relation of a death mark and love?" Lenalee asked, a look of irritation and confusion on her lovely doll face.

"You aren't expecting it, nor do you necessarily want it. If you want to be all out there in truth, you could even say you don't choose to fall in love and with whom. Although, I'll admit, love is rough, what with the compromises, then again, it does have its benefits."

Allen spun in his chair, a pecuilar look of disgust, uncertainty, and doubt, on his face, his eyebrows knitting together as he fixated all his attention on his supposed uncle, and completely ignoring Lavi who jumped into the scene (and his cousins slowly inching closer.) Tyki waited patiently for him to say something, anything at all, but it was like Allen was afraid to speak up or he just didn't know what exactly to say to Tyki.

"If you want to give me a lecture on love, Tyki Mikk," Allen said bitterly. "Don't. Please, just don't."

"All right. Enjoy your breakfast, and Lenalee-" He gazed at Lenalee sincerely. "I apologize for anything this brat may do. He doesn't realize just how rude he can be at times." Tyki looked at Allen again. "Anyway, I thought I'd tell you Neah will be here in three days, since you didn't answer your phone last night, then again, this is Neah, he just might pop in today, knowing him."

"Wonderful, just know I'm not suffering with my uncle all by myself. I managed to convince Sheryl to bring the whole family the night he arrives to Neah's favorite restaurant."

"Gee, thanks," Tyki rolled his eyes, strolling over to Jasdevi and Road, who he had to drag away from Allen and his friends before they started yanking his grumpy chain. "You have two hours and not a second more, to get your shit and leave."

"But I wanted to talk to Allen!" Road whined, pounding on Tyki's arm.

"Too bad. He's is a foul mood today," Tyki told her.

"I am not!" Allen slammed his head on the table, groaning when the pain didn't even wake him up. Good thing Lavi was never boring, otherwise he just might fall asleep then and there. Bad thing is, Allen is stuck with dweeb one - Lavi - and _It_ - that's Kanda. And the highly attractive Lenalee who will be thrown at Allen in whichever ways possible by the annoying redhead beside him.

"Geez, the tension is choking me," Lenalee muttered, accepting a can of Sprite from Lavi. "What's wrong, Allen? If you need a nap, you can-"

"It's not the lack of sleep that's my problem. It's Kanda and his bastard ways." Allen made wild gesticulations at the said rival with severe animosity, earning another raised eyebrow today from both Lavi and Lenalee. "So help me,_ Lavi Bookman Junior_, I will definitely _kill _you and send you to Timbuktu so no one will discover the truth, nor will they care! If you have the bloody ignorance to send Kanda to my house alone, might I so kindly add, to wake me up and bring me to a bloody destination at eight in the bloody morning! Do. You. Understand?"

Lavi casually bobbed his head and took a sip of his Mountain Dew: Code Red, a small smile tugging at his lips, and the grouchy, half-asleep Allen, groaned, knowing all too well Lavi wouldn't heed his warning, serious as it was or not, and merely scanned through the menu again.

"Don't worry 'bout him, Lenalady. Allen is always a grouch in the morn', mostly when he stays up late." Lavi said calmly, gulping down the rest of his soda and tossing the can in the nearby trash bin, an additional victory pump following. "See, Allen has sleeping problems, so after so long the lack of sleep catches up to him. I guess I should have thought of that this morning before I sent Kanda over to get him. Oops."

Lenalee nodded, thinking it might be alright to accept if Allen does indeed have an insomnia problem. She can be pretty grumpy in the morning, too. So she would just wait until Allen wakes up and feels okay before speaking too much to him, then she can talk to Kanda later in private about what the hell he did to piss him off so much. She is beginning to wonder if she'll see Allen be calm and peaceful for one whole day, or at least, when she first meets him in the day.

After they ate, they explored the mall. Allen trudged, his feet _plopping_ loudly on the tiled floors and his bloodshot eyes drooping. His frown was unnerving and Lenalee couldn't decide if she wanted to talk to him or not. . . or be in the same building. Still, she was incredibly curious to know what happened between Allen and Kanda this morning.

So she decided to take him into a clothing store while Lavi was actually riding one of those metal kiddie rides in the middle of the hall. It was absolutely ridiculous. Kanda was. . . apparently hiding in one of the stores. Glancing around, she saw a familiar long raven-haired pony tail swish around a door entrance to _RadioShack_ across from the clothing store.

She smiled weakly as Allen grumbled something under his breath about bastards and brainless rabbits who deserved to be, "Bloody thumped," and she giggled. She found his thick British accent fascinating, not as much as Lavi, though.

Allen eyed her from the corner of his eyes. "I have to buy a few supplies." His scowl deepened. "So please don't take too long."

Lenalee dragged him to the aisles of racks with designer clothes hung on them. Allen glimpsed at a few of the prices, eyes bulging from their sockets, and he _knew_ he wasn't buying anything here. "Why are they so expensive?"

"Because they are fabulous." Lenalee smiled as she took a smooth velvety pink flowing shirt off the rack, holding it up to her body. "What do you think?"

"I think it's not worth the price."

She rolled her eyes heavenward, running one of her hands over the front of the soft fabric as she pressed it closer to her body. It was beautiful, in her opinion. The bottom edge of the shirt was wavy and had red/yellow/orange vibrant strings dangling from the trimmings, a transparent turquoise bead decoratively pieced onto each one. The right side of the shirt, however, was longer than the left and traveled down past her knee. Instead of sleeves there was one strap that barely surpassed the label of spaghetti strings. How was it not pretty? She thought it was stunning and daring.

He just stared at it blankly as though it was sinful. He acted like a preacher and seemed to make her feel like his adolescent daughter who is venturing into satanic places. "Oh, come on, Allen. What is wrong with this?" She wanted to know.

"I hate pink," he automatically answered.

"Why? It's a pretty color."

"That's what most of your girls think. I, personally, don't like the color at all." Allen read the price tag and inhaled sharply. He definitely wasn't buying anything in this store. "What the bloody hell is with these prices? It's almost a hundred dollars!"

"Only that?" Leanlee gasped, peeking at the price tag herself. "It's a good thing I came here then. I'm so buying this."

"Don't you think you ought to save your money?"

"I am," she indignantly claimed, his eyes scanning the racks again. "So why don't you like pink?"

"It reminds me of_ Pink Panther_," he admitted.

Lenalee furrowed her dark eyebrows and looked at him strangely. Allen turned bashful, coughing into his fist, forcing himself to look elsewhere. His prayers went unanswered because he had prayed she wouldn't ask about it. Blasted curiosity. "What's wrong with_ Pink Panther_?"

"It's really not important. It's just. . . a very. . . Never mind." Allen hastily went to the next aisle of clothing and Lenalee followed, hand on her hip, foot tapping impatiently, and he knew she wouldn't let it drop. He sighed, and said, "When I was younger I was put through a traumatizing. . . yes, traumatizing-" Allen nodded affirmatively, first unsure if that was the right word to use, continuing, "I was put through a majorly traumatizing experience. I do not care to walk down memory lane much less explain the details."

Her eyebrows shot up questionably and he thought she actually looked kinda cute. . . He mentally shook his head. Then reprimanded himself, telling his subconscious it was alright to appreciate someone's pretty looks. It still had nothing to do with love, because it wasn't real.

"What could have possibly happened with _Pink Panther_ to make a traumatizing experience?" Lenalee demanded.

"All I'm going to say it had something to do with Cross, a nasty, demonic bastard who never pays his own debts," Allen hissed harshly, then lowered his voice and evenly went on saying, "whose unfortunately my 'uncle.' He's a fiend, a monstrosity. And the subject is dropped as of now."

"I'm still buying the shirt," she declared.

He shrugged, skimming his fingers over the clothes curiously, though he wasn't going to buy anything at all. He found a few nice denim jeans and cotton shirts, discerning several black t-shirts as well that he liked, but thought was going to be too big or too tight on him (and expensive) so he wouldn't buy anything. Lenalee noticed some of the clothing caught his sparkling eyes, but he put everything back. She, on the other hand, had her hands completely full and when Allen saw her again, he shook his head in disapproval.

"You can't possibly afford all of this," he told her.

"Oh, yes, I can." She grinned. "I have a big allowance from my brother and credit cards."

"Credit cards have either had money put on them or will make you pay later. If you aren't careful you're going to go over a budget and max them out. Wait, did you say you have an allowance? You have to be kidding." He raised a curious white brow.

"Komui babies me."

"And do you like being babied?"

"It depends on what I'm being babied for. Oooh, those shoes are-" Allen, humored and surprised, covered her eyes with his gloved hand and began taking a few items out of her arms. He left only seven in her arms compared to her-what? fifty?-and Lenalee gasped. "Give those back!"

"I think you have an obsession with clothes," he thought aloud. "I won't let you buy all these. You're wasting your money and surely you've got plenty of clothes at home. You can find clothes just as stylish at a Goodwill or thrift shop for barely five dollars and you could triple your wardrobe with how much you were trying to buy here."

"Goodwill?" Her eyes widened in horror. "A_ thrift shop_? Allen, do you have any idea what nonsense you just spat? Who are you-Edgar Allan Poe? That is scary, you know. Don't joke around like that!"

He _laughed _at her. She wanted to see that sparkle in his beautiful gray-blue eyes rust! Then, he smiled at her, patting her arm before dragging her toward the cashier. "Fine, Lenalee. We don't have to go that low, but surely the clothes at Wal-Mart would suffice? But buying clothes that are nearly a hundred dollars a piece-don't look at those shoes, you aren't getting any!-as I was saying, you can't just buy clothes like that. You'll regret it later. I mean it, Lenalee, you aren't getting those shoes."

"And since when do I have to listen to you?"

He smirked. "I'm your _friend_. Friends are meant to be your good subconscious for you when you're about to do something utterly foolish and irrational." She sighed, inwardly groaning for agreeing with him just a little bit that maybe he was somewhat right. "You buy more clothes next month."

Lenalee grumbled as Allen forced her to put just seven pieces of clothing on the counter and leave the store reluctantly-and by reluctantly, she meant Allen dragged her gawking wistfully at the shoes and jewelry and this one-of-a-kind shimmering green and blue dress! against her will completely. When they left the store, Allen patted her arm again, offered a smile, and Lavi was suddenly standing in front of them, waggling his eyebrow.

"What?" Allen asked.

"You went shopping with Lenalee," Lavi said in a singsong voice, and Allen, irritated, rolled his eyes.

"Blimey, Lavi-" The redhead snickered and Allen gritted his teeth. "We're in a blasted mall," Allen said as calmly as he could through his frustration, "so it's natural to go shopping with her."

"Technically, he ruined my field day," Lenalee muttered.

"I know. I saw him put all your items back. Too bad. She would have looked damn sexy in some of those, Allen, and you're going to miss out."

After a few minutes of bickering back and forth about shopping with Lenalee being sentimental when it wasn't, Allen finally broke off the discussion and scurried to the first Dollar General he could find. He practically stormed out of there in irritation when he couldn't find any good shampoo brands. He eventually ended up being dragged to the hair salon by Lavi, Kanda, and Lenalee because he was frolicking around energetically without pausing.

Lavi was skimming through the book one of the barbers gave him to look at the possible hair styles he could have professionally done there. Allen groaned when he realized how many shampoo and conditioners he had to search through, and just how pricey they could be. It took about two hours to buy new shampoo and conditioner, then go back through the stores and find new toothbrushes, tooth pastes, toilet paper, etcetera, since Kanda destroyed all of his bathroom supplies.

Allen's heels were sore when they finally left the mall. They barely had lunch and it was almost dinnertime when they arrived at Allen's house. The first thing Allen did was scurry to his bathroom and cleaned it, muttering blasphemies and ranting to himself about arrogant samurais and wake up calls. It was when he was scrubbing his floors squeaky clean did he realize he was so frustrated he spent another hour and a half polishing his bathroom like a diamond.

With a weary sigh, he sat on the edge of the bathtub and wiped the sweat off his brow, his thoughts quickly taking a U-turn back to his dramatic life. Specifically, Red D. Gray's new unwanted mission - romance - and Allen misfortune of spending time 'resisting urges and trying not to fall in love,' according to Lavi's contemptible rant from earlier, with Lenalee.

"Are you alright?"

Lenalee's voice startled Allen, making him jump. . . backwards into the tub. He hit his head on the wall and he felt like a folded piece of ham stuck between two slices of bread, stuck like a cork in a bottle. Lenalee giggled, hovering over him once she approached him. "You okay, Allen?"

"Just dandy," Allen whispered, accepting Lenalee's help in pulling him out of his uncomfortable position, but she accidentally pulled to hard and slipped on the wet floor.

This time he fell forward and on top of Lenalee. He winced. She lightly whimpered. "Oh, God, I'm so sorry, Lenalee. I should have warned you. . ." He trailed off when their eyes locked onto each other's for the first time. Next to Lavi's bright green eyes and Kanda's cobalt black beady ones, and compared to Allen's, he had never seen any really rare eye colors.

"It's actually a fact violet eyes are the second most rare colors for irises," Allen whispered, though he hadn't known he spoke aloud; being too mesmerized by the awe-striking hyacinth orbs, he lost to the world, even his own words. They were truly magnificent and radiant, even his own eyes didn't compare. It was a gift just to see someone with violet eyes.

She blushed, the heat radiating off Allen's body coiling around hers like a blanket. Their position was shameless and, oh, so, embarrassing, which made her so giddy, as it had never happened before. The dull throbbing in her head and back from falling on the floor so hard felt more like her heartbeat rapidly pulsing; faster, faster, faster, faster, until she was certain it was hopping in her throat.

Allen didn't move. She was too surprised to try. Instead she allowed herself to acknowledge everything about their position - their legs were tangled together, his chest was pressed down on her chest and stomach, some of his snowy white hair tickled her face and chin and neck. What really struck her into her big fluster moment was the fact that their lips weren't even an inch apart and his hips were pressed down on her loins, the relentless because Allen was in a stupor. . . so was she.

"They're such pretty irises," Allen breathed.

". . . Thanks."

"You're welcome, but you should thank genetics."

"Right."

He shifted a little, and she felt something odd, rough yet smooth, against her neck, and that's what brought Allen out of his trance when he discovered it was his left hand, ungloved and visible to the naked eye, which she was about to see. He hastily acknowledged their situation and jumped off Lenalee like she burned him. He murmured an apology, snatched his garbage and cleaning tools, and precipitately left the bathroom.

She still hadn't moved. When he left the room, she oddly felt more breathless than when he was crushing her. Lenalee couldn't seem to push past what happened. His warmth still hugged her, his scent still lingered, his breathing continued brushing her face, and she could feel his heartbeat to hers, yet never knew if his stopped, crazily bounced around, or stayed in its normal pace.

Slowly, Lenalee sat up, but only because Allen was passing through the hall again. He barely turned his head, in fact, she doubted he did, but it was unmistakable - his eyes flickered in her direction, for he had been curious to see if Lenalee moved or not.

Lenalee uncertainly stood up and looked in the mirror, discovering her hair was a mess, and she quickly fixed it up. She felt like she was in a daze, between a the world of reality and dreams. Her face, which had alas gotten its color back, was pink as her new shirt when she closed her eyes and remembered all the details about his body pressed on hers, then out of nowhere she felt a pair of arms hugging her from behind, Allen's strong, sweet scent entering her nostrils again, and her heart jumped into her throat - again. When opened her eyes, she conceived her perception had been false, simply her imagination.

Gulping, Lenalee leaned precariously onto the sink counter. "What. . . What just happened?"

* * *

_Obviously I failed my attempt at writing this in one month because I stopped for a long time. So I'm going to try this again. Therefore, I'm continuing this! I'm sorry if I worried anyone about not finishing this, but I got sidetracked by school and other problems, so now I'm back. Yay!_

_Anyway, I hope this was fulfilling and you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope some of you will be kind enough to review and let me know what you think. It would be greatly appreciated. _

_Again, this will be a long story and I'm going to try to write this within one-four months from henceforth and I won't write any other story until this is completed. Hopefully, the next chapter will be up tomorrow or in a few days. _

_*Thanks for all the reviews so far! Wow, 21 with only two chapters! I love you guys!*_


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